LEVEL
5By now you will have learnt most of what
you need to know, you just need to keep practising and making things more and
more difficult for your dog.

Water ~ you will now be introduced to the blind retrieve from across
water, this is where a lot of the commands you have learnt will start to make
sense.For information:POINTING ~
it is difficult to say at what age a dog should start to point, young dogs may
point anything from birds to butterflies and bees. While others don’t.The main thing is to know what to do when he
does start pointing.This is best done
on a long line somewhere that you know which holds game (ideally a friendly
keeper who will let you near his pen).Watch
the dog closely and when you notice him stiffening, approach him quickly and
quietly from the side, stroke him
and encourage him to remain where he is for as long as possible with the
command STEADY.Once
he has remained steady for a good length of time and the object he is pointing
has not moved, them make him sit and flush the game yourself, allow him to
watch the departure but do not allow him to follow it up.He will probably start by pointing all sorts
of birds but as he gains in confidence and experience he will start pointing
game only.Ideally
he will eventually automatically sit to the flush of game!!TOP TIPs ~
Do not allow any other dog to interfere in this training~Do not allow him to flush
on his own, or chase game.If
you are unfortunate to come across game when the dog is off the lead follow the
above procedure, and when you get to the dog slip his lead quietly on and you
are back in control.COMBINING QUARTERING WITH
POINTINGOnce
the dog is 100% steady you can take him to ground that holds game.Allow
him to quarter the ground and point, drop to your flush of the game than carry
on quartering. The
next stage is to introduce a shot in combination to your flush. Providing
you have succeeded in your earlier lesson in keeping him rock steady to shot,
you should have no difficulties, but still do not allow him to flush and do not
shoot to kill.Once
you have perfected this you can move on and ask someone to shoot the game, so
you can concentrate on the dog, at this point you are still flushing the game
yourself. When
the game has been shot either make the dog sit while you go and retrieve the
game or move away from the area for a while and go back later and use the game
as a blind retrieve.TOP TIP ~
It is important the dog does not associate the point, shot and fall with a
retrieve at this time.FLUSHING ~
Now the dog is steady to all facets of his pointing and retrieving you can
allow him to flush his own game.Encourage
him by allowing him to move forward with you to where you suspect the game to
be, if he has learned his lesson well he will automatically sit once he has
flushed the bird. There isn’t a command for the flush, you can use any words
such as push him out. Allow him to
watch the bird fly away. Again, once he is steady to this you can ask somebody
to shoot the game, but still not allowing the dog the retrieve.Continue
doing this for a few weeks resisting the temptation to allow him to retrieve
once you are totally confident that he will not run in then you can start
asking him to execute the retrieve once he has sat for a reasonable time.TOP TIPs

~
it is not recommended that a dog under a year be on a working shoot~a dog in his first shoot season should not be
sent for a runner.Having
taken your training carefully you are now ready to fly solo, but take things
easy, think ahead and look for the dangers so mistakes do not occurGOOD
LUCK ENJOY YOU DOG !